Improvement in windmills



ZS'heets--Sheet 2.. i S. E. AMENT.

Wind-Mills.

Paiented July 21,1874.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SYLVESTER E. AMENT, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN WINDMILLOS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 153,188, dated July 21, 1874; application filed April 21, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SYLvEsTER E. AMENT, of Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain Improvements in lVindinills, of which the following' is a specification: v

The rst part of my invention relates to the adaptation of the rotary shaft upon which the windwheel is rigidly fixed to a reciprocate movement, which shall be caused to slide back by pressure of wind upon wheel, and forward by means of a weight, and which action of said shaft, by a suitable connection with parts controlling the throwing of wind-surfaces of wheel into and out of wind, constitute the apparatus, in whole or in part, a self-governing one. The second part of my invention relates to such a connection of a reciprocating wheelshaft with a hinged rudder as that, when it reciprocates back, it will cause one side of rudders vane to be thrown against the wind, the effect of -which will be to turn apparatus around toward the vane, and when said wheel -shaft has reciprocated back to its fullest extent the vertical planes of wheels disk and rudders vane will be thrown into a parallel position relatively to each other, thereby throwing edge of wheels disk to the wind, and consequently its Wind-surfaces out of the wind. The third part of my invention relates to a weight connected in such a manner to said reciprocating wheel-shaft and to said hinged rudder as that, whenthe current of wind is not stronger than the mill is required to run in, its weight will reciprocate the said shaft forward, which will throw opposite side of rudders vane against the wind, causing apparatus to turn around from said vane, and when said shaft is reciprocated forward to its fullest extent the vertical planes of wheels disk and rudders vane will be at right angles relatively to each other, longitudinal center of latter stretching directly back, or nearly so, from center of wheels disk, or on a line continuously, or nearly so, with line of longitudinal center of wheel-shaft. rIhe said weight the greater its heft the stronger the current of wind the mill or wheel thereof will be held to run in, and the less its heft the more slight the current of wind it will be held to run in, ad infinitum, nearly. The fourth part of my invention relates to the application of an eccentric to said reciprocating shaft in such a manner as that said shaft may reciprocate through it freely, and at the same time be compelled to rotate with the shaft; and also of an open or double connection between said eccentric and pitman, giving room between for part of frame, and the pulley and chain to which weight is attached, to exist and operate in; and also ot' such joint attachments to this connection as that the said eccentric may, if preferred, be attached in all respects rigidly to said shaft, the frame so constructed as to giveA room for it to work in, and thus be allowed to move with said shaft in its reciprocate as well as rotary movements.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a mill embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same with wheel in wind. Fig. 3 is a plan of same with wheel out of wind. Fig. 4 is a central vertical section of parts connecting eccentric with pump.

A is the frame of the mill, fixed and adapted to turn upon the vertical bearing B, the central part of which latter is hollow, and through which another pipe, O, is inserted, the upper part of which slides up and down through a bearing, D, to keep it more perfectly in place, and the lower end (not represented) united rigidly with pump, and forming part of the same or piston thereof, and if not of pump of some other mechanical device to be operated. The collars c o, shrunk upon upper end of the pipe O, contain between them loosely the two plates or halves of the box E, slipped on over the end of O with sufficient looseness toallow the latter to turn therein freely. Another collar,with arms extending out through the sides and between the two halves of the box E, may be slipped on over the end of O loosely, to be contained also loosely between the collars c c, if preferred. The ends of the box E contain the lower ends of the two rod-connections E' E', descending through the first plate or upper half of the box, then crooked. outward between the two halves of E, thus constituting the two lower joints e c, as represented in section in Fig. 4t. The upper ends of E E are similarly secured, thus constituting the two upper joints de within the ends of the box F', the latter containing the eccentric bearing F. The pins ff, inserted through the hubs of F, enter a rectangular groove-invisible, but which will be readily understoodrunning lengthwise within the exterior of the wheel-shaft G. The latter is mounted within the frame A, as represented, and is adapted to rotary and reciprocate movements. The eccentric disk F is adapted, in this instance, to only a rotary movement, and is held from being carried with the shaft G in its longitudinal movements through it bybeinginclosed closely between two parts of the frame A, as represented. Upon the forward end of G is rigidly fixed the hub G', upon, which the wheel (not represented) is constructed. Upon the rear end of G is xed loosely the hub H, confined loosely between two pins inserted through G, and which hub H has two arms or lug projections, one, H', extending downward, and the other, H", extending horizontally outward. The rudder 1t is hinged to the frame A at r o', at which latter point its hinge-bars turn horizontally at an angle of forty-live degrees, or thereabout-in this instance to the right-and extending farther, and the ends thereof receive the round bar R', which latter passes through a slot, h, in the lug H", and the latter sustained in its place by a pin and washer upon R' beneath it. The chain S, one end attached to the lug H', passes through an aperture in the frame A, over the pulley or sheave S', and down through the pipe C, and to the lower end of which is attached the weight T. The shaft G is of sufteient length relatively to the frame A to allow of a certain extent of end play or reciprocate movement, limited by the hub G' in front and the pin g' in rear.

The weight at lower end of chain below is made heavy enough to keep the mill or wheel thereof' in a current of wind suiticiently strong to do the work required; and when the current becomes stronger than that, the wheel, and the shat't upon which it is fixed, and hub .ll are, by the excessive pressure ot' wind upon wheel, carried back, and which, by means of the lug H", throws, in this ease, the left side of the vane of R against the wind, which causes the apparatus to turn around toward said vane 5 and when the said shat't G has reciprocated back to its fullest extent, the vertical planes of wheels disk and rudders vane will be thrown into a parallel position relatively to each other, thereby throwing'edge of wheel's disk to the wind, and, consequently, its wind surfaces out ot' the wind 5 and in which position the operative parts are silent and motionless, or nearly so, as represented in Fig. 35 and when the force of the winds current subsides to or below the maximum degree of `pressure that the mill or wheel G' thereof is required by the heft of weight T to sustain and to operate in, the said weight T, by means of connections heretofore described, reeiprocates the shaft G forward, which, by means of other connections described, throws the right-hand side of rudders vane .against the wind, the effect of which is to turn the apparatus around from the vane; and when the said shaft G is reciproeated forward to its fullest extent the vertical planes of wheels disk and rudders vane will be at right angles with each other, or nearly so, and in which position the operative parts are in their working relations, relatively to each other, as represented in Fig. 2.

XVhen it is desired to sustain the mill or wheel thereof in a stronger current of wind, additional heft is supplied to the weight T, and when it is desired to be sustained in a current of less force, the weight T, or heft thereof, is diminished. The form or material of which T is composed is unimportant.

Proportions and material of rudder and wheel, and manner ofconstruction, are, it is believed, sufficiently well known to not require description. The wheel is ot' well-known solid rosette order, or similar to it, at least; windsurfaces composed of slats four to six inches wide, or thereabout, at outer ends. 5 the rudder extending back from hinge to a distance of about four-fifths diameter of wheel; the area of vane or wing part, for ten-foot wheel, not far from five and a halt' feet long by two and a half feet wide. iron.

The manner of securing lower part ot' B to tower or post, and lower part of C to pump or other device to be operated, is also believed to be too well known to need description, and which latter l do not claim, but

Vhat I do claim. as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is`

]. The combination and arrangement of a reciprocating wheel and shaft, G' G, hub connection H H", joint It' h, hinges r r, vane or rudder R, and frame A, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

2. Ajoint, lt' h. H", or its equivalent, in the hinged rudder lt forward of its hinge r r, or its equivalent, employed substantially as and for the purpose hereinbet'ore set forth.

3. The combination of weight T, chain S, shea-ve S', Vhub H H' H", joint R' h H", or their equivalents, with hinged rudder R, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbeforc set forth.

4L. The combination of weight T, chain S, sheave S', lug H', hub H, and shaft G, substantially as and for the purpose hercinbeforc set forth.

5. The combination of weight T, chain S', hub H H' H" h, shaft G, joint lt' /L II", and rudder R, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbeforc set forth.

6. The combination and arrangement in windmills ofthe eccentric disk F, pins ff, or their equivalent, reciproca-ting shaft G, and frame A, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

JOHN H. DUnnAN, MER/.ron S. HENnnicK.

AMENT.

The frame A is ot' castv 

